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Treads - Jeep - Colorado

Use Your Last Dollar To Take This Road

San Juan Mountain views and aspen at every turn.

By gowestusa Staff

If you have time for only one backcountry 4WD adventure while visiting the southwest corner of Colorado, it should be Last Dollar Road. This rough dirt road, less than 20 miles long, winds through open meadows, aspen and pine groves and open ranch lands.

Everywhere you turn there are views. Views of the San Juan Range and the towering Mount Sneffels. Views of Mount Wilson and the San Miguel River Valley. Views of old cabins and sheep her ... [continued]

Ripples | Boat - Kayak or tube at the base of 1000 foot cliffs. [more]

photo provided by the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway

Experiences | Hands-On Adventures - Just two and a half miles from desert to forest. [more]

Trails | Hike - A rewarding trek into a deep river canyon. [more]

Cowboys | Indians | Ghost Towns and Forts | It Happened Here

El Santuario

The Spanish village of Chimayo, New Mexico is the home of a small frontier adobe church named El Santuario de Nuestro Senor de Esquipulas. In 1810, Don Bernardo Abeyta saw a mystical light coming from the ground on Good Friday and was told in a vision to dig. When he did as instructed, he found a buried crucifix, which was carried in procession to Santa Cruz. The next morning it was gone, buried again in the spot where Abeyta located it. This happened three times. Since it was clearly meant to be in Chimayo, Abeyta built a twin-towered adobe...[continued]

Old West | Indians - Beauty and history meet between towering walls. [more]

Old West | Cowboys - The mountain man lived here for over 20 years. [more]

Old West | It Happened Here - Wyatt Earp dealt cards at the Arlington Saloon. [more]


	Qs AND TIPS

	Q: I've taken some of the more popular hikes in Zion and Bryce National Parks, and there are always a lot of people on the trail. Especially in peak season. Are there hikes in the same area that are more peaceful? I am looking for something with moderate difficulty and distance. --John F., Santa Ana, California		TIP: The Grand Staircase Escalante Wilderness is a spectacular area just northeast of Bryce. One of the m... [read] ASK



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	Heads Up! Lassen Winter Recreation Opportunities: Lassen Volcanic National Park offers ranger led snowshoe walks on Saturdays and Sundays at 1:30 pm until April 8. New this year is a challenging snowshoe trek to Ridge Lakes on March 24, available by reservation only. Call 530-595-6133 Related Link: Lassen Winter Info Monarch Butterfly Grove at Pismo Beach: An unusual phenomena is happening this year at Pismo's Monarch Butterfly Grove. Although there are only 23,000 butterflies at last count, they are almost all grouped together in one tree. And a cedar tree at that, not their normal eucalyptus. The mass of butterflies makes for wonderful photo opportunities. The light is best from midday to early afternoon. Related Story: Migrating Monarchs Multnomah Falls Elevator Closure: The Multnomah Falls elevator is closed for upgrades and repairs. The elevator company contracted to do the work expects the elevator to be fully operational by February 12th. The restaurant will remain open, but access will be limited to the staircase at the front entrance of the building. There will be no wheelchair-accessible access to the second-floor restaurant while the elevator is being renovated. Related Story: Many Hikes, Many Falls Free Admission to Mesa Verde: Mesa Verde National Park in southwestern Colorado is offering free admission for the entire months of January and February. The park's main road and Mesa Top Loop Road will be open from 8 a.m. to sunset daily. The park offers walking tours and cross-country skiing, and the Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum will be open. Food service is available from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Spruce Tree Terrace. Related Story: Mesa Verde National Park First Dinosaur Found in Navajo Sandstone: The fossil of a plant-eating dinosaur likely swallowed up by a collapsing dune was discovered just below an ancestral Puebloan cliff-dwelling called Eagles Nest in Comb Ridge near Bluff, Utah. Scientists say the bones could have been visible when the Anasazi lived there and may tie to the Navajo legend of a sand monster that buried its victims alive in dunes. Related Story: Visiting Bluff, Utah [more Heads Up!]